Auchterturra
Auchterturra is a
fictitious town created by the
Scottish comedy team
Scotland the What?. It generally seems to be somewhere in
Aberdeenshire (and the inhabitants speak the
Doric dialect of
Lowland Scots), but can contain elements from the
Highlands or even the
Western Isles, if a joke should call for it. The town often reflected current events in Scotland; for instance in 1992, at the time the
ITV licences were up for renewal, Auchterturra Broadcasting sought the franchise held by
Grampian Television on the basis that "due tae popular demand, we willna be shawin ony
Gaelic programmes at aw."
The name is probably based on
Turriff which is known locally as
Turra, where 'Scotland the What' come from. 'Auchter' is a generic prefix from the
Scots Gaelic Uachdar meaning high ground, and is common in placenames in the north east.
Auchterturra is now widely used as a
pseudonym for a
generic Scottish town.